Chapter 6 - The Fall of Samantha
I walked out of the courthouse feeling like a hollow shell of a man. Pendelton shook my hand awkwardly at the stone steps, offered a brief word of sympathy, and hurried away, knowing I couldn't afford to pay him for another hour of his time.
As I reached my car in the parking garage, a sharp voice called out from the shadows near the elevator.
“Daniel!”
I turned. Samantha was standing by a concrete pillar. She looked disheveled—her designer coat was unbuttoned, her hair messy, and her eyes wide with frantic rage.
“Samantha?” I said, staring at her. “What are you doing here?”
She rushed up to me, grabbing my lapels with trembling hands. “You have to stop her, Daniel! You have to make your wife drop the corporate complaints!”
I pulled her hands off my jacket, stepping back. “What happened?”
“What happened?” Samantha shrieked, her voice echoing off the concrete walls. “Your wife’s lawyer delivered a formal ethics folder to my managing directors yesterday morning! They fired me on the spot! They revoked my trading license! My name is blacklisted across every financial agency in the city!”
I looked at her, seeing the desperation in her eyes—the exact same desperation I had been swimming in for the past four days.
“They fired you,” I repeated flatly.
“Yes! They fired me!” she screamed, slamming her purse against her knee. “And my landlord served me an eviction notice this morning because the rent check you wrote from your joint account bounced! I have forty-eight hours to pack my things! You ruined my life, Daniel!”
A strange, bitter laughter bubbled up in my chest. I couldn't stop it. I threw my head back and laughed loudly, a dry, broken sound that bounced off the garage ceiling.
“I ruined your life?” I asked, leaning in close to her. “I paid your rent. I bought you jewelry. I bought you designer bags while my wife was sitting alone at home bleeding after surgery! You knew I was married, Samantha. You knew I had a newborn baby girl! You didn't care as long as the champagne was cold and the checks cleared!”
“You promised me you were divorcing her anyway!” she spat.
“I was an idiot!” I roared, stepping into her space until she flinched back against the concrete pillar. “And so were you! You thought you were playing a game with an easy mark. But Claire was the only real adult in the room. We both got exactly what we deserved.”
Samantha stared at me, her face pale, realizing for the first time that there was no money left, no influence left, and no protection left for her to squeeze out of me.
“Get away from me,” she whispered, backing away slowly. “You’re disgusting.”
“Don't ever call me again, Samantha,” I said softly, opening my car door. “And don't look for me.”
May you like
I got into my car and drove away, leaving her standing alone in the cold, dusty garage.
For the first time in months, the ghost of my mistress was gone. But as I returned to my empty house, the reality of what I had to face was far more terrifying than total ruin. I had to face myself.
